Day 8 - Rob Lundquist+

GC77 – Day 8 – July 12, 2012:  Last day!  What a ride.  I take the morning off… because I can.  Brain-weary is the term I keep using, but I can’t think of another.  But I take it easy, planning to get to worship a little early.  Eucharist on this last day is at 11:30a, and I sit with Joel.  It is a typical Sunday morning type of service – Rite II, Prayer A.  Feast of Nathan Søderblom, Lutheran ecumenist of the early 20^th century.  A Swede, Søderblom worked to bring Lutherans, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics together in a number of areas, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1930, the year before he died.  Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori drew out lessons for us now in her sermon.  http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/12/presiding-bishop-katharine-jefferts-schoris-closing-sermon/

 

I served as a deputy for the last legislative session, as Mike’s flight left earlier than the scheduled end of GC.  It was indeed a flurry of activity in our final four hours.  I didn’t count them, but someone said that we dealt with some 80 resolutions in that time frame.  We changed the rules again:  limiting debate to 1 minute, prohibiting motions to refer on concurring resolutions (since we had run out of time to send anything back to the House of Bishops, who were also in their last session), and “batching” resolutions.  All Courtesy Resolutions were dispensed with in a single vote, as were certain uncontroversial concurrences.  Still, parliamentary procedure can be an odd duck to work with, so it continued to be a rather excruciating process.  But we wrapped it up, and devoted the final 45 minutes or so to honoring Canon Dr Bonnie Anderson, the President of the House of Deputies since 2006.  Bonnie has worked diligently to strengthen the ministry of all baptized, traveling widely on behalf of our Church.  You can catch something of the tribute here: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/12/general-convention-digest-2/

 

I was surprised to learn that this is 4^th General Convention that has offered child care to participants!  I poked my head in early in the week, just to take a peek.  And it was so much more than I saw - http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/11/at-convention-children-live-their-faith-with-song-and-enthusiasm/

 

Another great aspect was the attention to taking environmentally-aware steps to help mitigate the stress that such a gathering can cause.  For example, the badgeholders  you see in some pictures (red for HoD, purple for HoB, green for GC staff, blue for ECW [Episcopal Church Women], etc) have biodegradable vinyl windows and are otherwise constructed of 95% recycled plastic.  The badges themselves were printed on recycled paper using soy-based inks.  The disposable cutlery used at GenCon77 was made from cornstarch rather than petrochemicals; the clear cups were of a corn-based construction; plates and bowls were made of sugarcane fiber, and the hot cups were lined with a plant-based plastic.  We were all encouraged to bring our own mugs, of course, and the Church partnered with NativeEnergy in Wewoka, OK, to offset a portion of the CO₂ generated by our event.  Second Helpings of Indianapolis reclaimed uneaten food from official events to feed folks in our host city.  And the Indiana Convention Center itself recycles more than 60 tons of aluminum, plastic, cardboard and glass each year.  At the Westin (where our deputation and bishop stayed), we got a $5 coupon for every day we bypassed housekeeping, which was a nice incentive to reuse our towels and such.  I’m gratified to see such steps being taken on a scale like General Convention, both for the immediate result and for the consciousness-raising.  Because it makes a difference.  And that itself is a lesson.

The ending of an 8-day marathon of, well, anything is a bit disorienting.  Our Bishop and Canon hopped in a car directly after we adjourned sine die.  Two other cars would leave Friday morning, and the rest of us had flights out at various times.  For dinner I caught up with my friend from Vail, CO, and the dean of the cathedral in South Bend, IN.  Time to let the hair down a little – but an early morning for me kept it well within the bounds of decorum.

The WNC deputation will hold a debriefing meeting for the Diocese in the next couple of weeks – time and place yet to be determined.  A lot happened in Indianapolis, and how that will affect us in our congregations is not fully understood at this point.  We all stand ready to answer questions, provide details, or respond in whatever way we can in the weeks and months ahead.  Bishop Taylor will be commenting as well on the 77^th General Convention of the Episcopal Church.  The trick will be to translate the resolutions, conversations, intentions and dreams into the Good News of God in Christ Jesus.  That’s what it’s all about, after all.  

It was a Bishop Geoffrey Paul who opined that the Church is a “glorious ragbag of saints and fat-heads…”  I find I cannot improve upon that description.  But it puts me in mind of a fairly recent group that calls itself “Unapologetically Episcopalian.”  We are who we are.  Let’s live it large.  Walk in the Way, widen the walls, and wake up the world!

Yours in Christ,

The Rev Robert Lundquist

Day 7 - Rob Lundquist+

GC77 – Day 7 – July 11, 2012:  Breakfast at 8a for me, with other Diocesan Canons for Congregational Vitality.  Actually, the other 9 are canons – I’m just the chair of the Committee of the same name in our Diocese.  Sat between the Canon from Indianapolis (SWTS 85) and the Episcopal Church’s Missioner (SWTS 84), and everybody exchanged business cards.  This networking thing begins with meeting each other IRL (in real life), and I imagine we’ll end up on a listserv together, where the real exchange of ideas and opportunities can take place.

At the 9:30a Eucharist today we observed the feast of Benedict, the sixth-century monk who is now known as the father of western monasticism.  Fittingly, the music was largely Plainsong and Anglican Chant, led by the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Indianapolis.  But it was the music during communion that I found most exquisite: Seek him that maketh the seven stars, by composer Jonathan Dove.  The text is from Amos 5:8.  But take a listen - www.youtube.com/watch?v=fg6ZVtcmgIc  I’ve never heard the piece, or of the composer, but I was completely transported.  Wow.

The other “Wow!” was the preacher – the Rev Stephanie Spellers.  She rocked the socks of everyone there, as you can see in the video:  http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/11/the-rev-stephanie-spellers-preaches-at-convention-eucharist/

 

I was off today – back to being the Clergy Alternate – which gave me some wonderful time to read and to sleep.  The best part was having lunch with my 2 first seminary friends, Sylvia & Ruth.  Within the first week or two of our 3-year experience, the entire incoming class went up to the DeKoven Center in Wisconsin for a retreat.  A silent retreat.  The wisdom of taking a group of 3 dozen eager new seminarians on a silent weekend together never made sense to me.  I remember early on taking what I now know is called a “walking meditation.”  I slipped out to the park across the road, and discovered two others who, like me, were more interested in getting to know the folks we’d be spending the next 3 years with instead of not getting to know them.  We ended up talking for hours, sharing our journeys to date and hopes/dreams for the future.  Ruth is a Liturgics Professor and author; Sylvia is a seminary dean.  We only had 20 minutes as a trio, as Ruth was late & had to leave early.  But it is cherished time.  And we two remaining finally had to leave the restaurant so it could be set up for dinner…

In the House of Deputies today, business moved forward.  Our diocesan group dined together, celebrating Jim’s birthday and vowing not to talk about Convention.  We are all brain-weary, and talk turned to exit strategies – who’s leaving when, who’s driving & can take stuff back to WNC, and the timing of details.  I’ll be taking Mike’s place tomorrow afternoon – the last of GenCon77 – as his flight departs before the House is scheduled to adjourn.  I’m here until my Friday morning flight.  I’m told there are some 60 resolutions for the Deputies to deal with tomorrow – some will be put on the “consent” calendar, deemed noncontroversial and passed in a block.  And the others?  May God be merciful to us all.

Thank you for your prayers!  I hope our blogging has grown you sense of the Church a bit.  The ENS (Episcopal News Service) and other sources are the best place to get official news and facts, like who has been elected to what.  It feels difficult to keep up with that stuff here on the ground, and it’s easy to get facts wrong when there’s such a barrage of them.  Twitter (#GC77) has shown itself to be immensely significant this week – news is fast, and usually correct.  The worship services and deliberations in both houses (I believe) have been live-streamed on the Episcopal Church’s site: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/gc2012/  The Closing Eucharist is at 11:30a, and the Legislative Sessions run from 8-11a and 2:15-6:30p.  The Church has made an honest effort to be as communicative and transparent as possible.  Some of this can be seen in the general accuracy found in the reports in the secular media – the NPR article today was excellent:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=156584940  

I’m asked, “What’s next?  Where is the Church heading?”  I’m more interested in your answers.  And it’s not the kind of thing that requires a lot of extra talking.  It’s time to live it.  What difference does this all make to you?  What has thrilled you about the Church this week?  What are you moved to do?  What Church do you dream of?  I don’t have those answers.  But I love the conversation.  The Presiding Bishop’s succinct observation stays with me:  Christians, we are called to boldly go where Jesus has gone before.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev Robert Lundquist

Clergy Deputy (tomorrow afternoon)

Day 6 - Rob Lundquist+

GC77 – Day 6 – July 10, 2012:  Worship this morning nearly all in Spanish.  Feast of Bartolomé de las Casas (1484-1566). He came to the New World as a conquistador, yet became a fiery advocate for the rights of the natives.  The preacher was Fr Alberto Cutié, who rather famously left the Roman Catholic Church a few years ago.  Excellent speaker.  http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/10/albert-cutie-preaches-at-july-10-convention-eucharist/  Once again, the choices made on music were outstanding.  Instead of a choir, we had a single voice accompanied by Spanish guitar.  Striking and effective.

Another long day in legislative session.  I was able to snag lunch with the Episcopal chaplain at UNC-Greenville.  Kevin was quite helpful in helping me think through what starting such an endeavor at UNC-Asheville might look like.  I met Kevin 7 years ago, when we were both in campus ministry.  As Freed For Ministry becomes fully subscribed in WNC, creating a new outreach to the Asheville campus is slated for funding.  There are some excellent models out there.

The Bishops joined the Deputies for a joint session after lunch, during which we received the proposed budget of ~$111M for the next 3 years.  It has since passed in both Houses.  Later, we (the deputies) adopted a resolution on restructuring the Church.  After the usual parliamentary wrangling – which really does seem to elongate the fabric of time itself – we voted unanimously in favor.  It was a stunned moment or two when we realized that there were no “Nays” voiced before all decorum was lost.  Cheering (which is greatly frowned upon by the Chair) began, then hugs, then singing.  The realization that we were actually of one mind, on the need to change the way we are the Church, was a pure moment.

One of the Characters of GenCon: The Secretary of the House, Canon Greg Straub.  The dryness of the Secretary’s wit is only matched by his sartorial sensibilities.  Always in a bow-tie, Greg also has an amazing collection of impossible-to-miss sport coats.  His lime green paisley number on Sunday caused one Tweeter to ask, “Who let the leprechaun on the floor of the HOD?”  Today, the Secretary shared a couple notes he had received in the past week in Indy, both from hotel staff members.  The back-story to both is the wide-spread practice of leaving $5/day for the housekeeping staff, suggested as a matter of justice.  The amount is less than a fancy coffee, but will have the effect, if widely practiced by the Episcopalians in town, of putting cash directly into the economy – in the pockets of those at the lowest end of the pay scale.  The first note was left on the shelf where the gratuity had been found, reading “THANK YOU, all of you, and God bless you every second of your life!”  The other said, “Thank you - you are the first Christian group that I haven’t gotten mad at.”   In the service industry across the country, it’s a well-known fact that Christians are lousy tippers.  Is that our best witness?  When my son Nathan worked in food service a few years ago, he changed my perspective on tipping.  I used to calculate pretty closely, seeing it as a game, I suppose, of how well I could calculate 15% in my head, and leaving precisely that.  “Dad,” he said, frowning, after a restaurant meal, “a bigger tip is just a couple dollars for you, but a good tip can really make my day.”  Yeah, that makes sense.  Now I generously round up from 20%, more if warranted.  Because it’s just a couple more dollars for me, but it might make someone else's day a great one.  And that’s all the more important when I’m here because I’m a Christian.

The other big decision was rendered at the end of the day – nearing 7 pm.  Debate on approving the liturgy for blessing the life-long commitment of same-sex couples went on for 90 minutes, under special rules.  Usually, speakers have 3 minutes at a microphone, and procedural motions (to table, or call the question) are always in order.  To assure full debate, we had by earlier agreement limited each speaker to 2 minutes (and the mike goes silent when the timer hits zero), and prohibited procedurals until 15 minutes had passed.  We also agreed to no show of emotion upon receiving the results.  The vote totals showed that we passed the resolution by a 3-to-1 margin in both orders (lay and clerical voting separately).  Not a sound was made, and the chair called us into day-end prayers.  What may sound a bit eerie came across to me as deeply respectful.  While I realize there was great rejoicing by many, there was a realization on the floor that this was a painful result for some. 

Last night was set aside for seminary gatherings, so I went to the reception for Seabury-Western.  Or rather, for the new entity Bexley/Seabury.  Yes, my alma mater has “federated” with another school.  Anyway, I did see a lot of old buds.  We wondered amongst ourselves where the missing titles of our new federation had gone.  If Seabury-Western and Bexley Hall had merged, perhaps we were at the wrong gathering…  where was the Western Hall meeting?  More seriously, we were mildly impressed that our class (’85) was so well represented at this General Convention.  At least 5 of us are deputies, and 1 a bishop.  Out of a class of 35 total. 

Our Diocesan deputation gathering is less strategic and more silly, I must admit.  We’re all pretty beat.  The next 2 days, I hear, are kind of a rush to the finish line.  Still a lot of work to do!

Yours in Christ,

The Rev Robert Lundquist

Clergy Deputy (through today)

The Rev. Karla Woggon. What's your dream for our church

What’s your dream for our church?  After the budget presentation during a joint session of the House of Deputies and House of Bishop, the Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, asked us all to ponder that question. 

What’s your dream for our church?  The Bishops left and we continued on with the business of the day.  The next resolution we passed was to restructure our church.   The resolution called for a committee of 24 people representing the breadth and depth of the church, with at least a portion of the membership not from among the established leadership structure.  The committee is tasked with dreaming and discerning and praying for a plan that will allow us to be a more nimble church.  They will present their work to the church via a special conference composed of one bishop, one clergy and one lay deputy from each diocese as well as a person from each diocese under the age of 35.  The group of bishops and deputies will work with the recommendation from the committee to bring suggestions to the 2015 General Convention of how we can restructure our church.    We came to the convention thinking that structure would be the controversial issue.  It turned out not to be so controversial.  We passed the resolution unanimously.  And then broke into song.  Something we rarely do in the house of deputies. Because we rarely vote unanimously on important issues that have the potential to radically change the church. The Holy Spirit seems to be moving and we are responding rather than digging in our heels or ignoring the reality around us. 

                What’s your dream for our church?  I continue to ponder Bishop Katharine’s question. Two rows in front of my seat in the House of the Deputies one of the deputies from the diocese of Milwaukee has an icon of Jesus.  It has been wonderful to be able to focus on the icon, on the face of Christ when I’m feeling anxious or bored during our meetings.  Wonderful to remember that Christ is in our midst, guiding, protecting, leading.  My dream, my prayer, my hope for the church of the future is that we will continue to dwell as fully as we can in the mystery of Jesus Christ.  A mystery that tells us that God is right here in the midst of our mess and our success, our joy and our pain.  I also hope that we will be a church that continues to welcome all, in all the varied and diverse ways we name all.  A church where all voices are welcome and where folks of divergent views come to the table to share in a sacred meal of bread of wine.  I hope that we will be a church of joy rather than excessive worry or rules.  I’m not sure how we get there, but I believe that the Holy Spirit will continue to lead us into such a Church. 

                So, what’s YOUR dream for OUR church?

July 9 - Joel Hafer+

Diocese of Western North Carolina

Deputy’s Blog

            One of my favorite philosopher/theologians is Pogo.  At the half-way point of General Convention, this insight of his seems profound: “We are surrounded by insurmountable opportunity!”  This wonderful amalgamation of people who have great faith and insight into the way the Holy Spirit is leading us as Christ’s body known as the Episcopal Church has spurred the following thoughts in me:

·         We speak English, Spanish, French, Lakota, Hmong, Chinese, and a number of other languages.

·         We have conservatives, moderates, liberals, High Church, Low Church, and middle-of-the-road worshipers.

·         Some of us are quite serious about almost everything, and some of us, while still serious, interject a healthy dose of humor into our insightful thoughts. 

·         A number of people love to go to the microphone to speak on nearly every issue, and we almost started a pool to wager on how many times a certain northeastern diocese deputy would rise to speak yet again!  Others of us would prefer not to go anywhere near the microphones.  But, O, when a deputy rises and makes a wonderfully salient point, it is marvelous in our ears.

·         Worship this morning had a Native American theme, and the readings were printed and read in the Lakota language (English was printed, too).  There were Native American drummers and chanters who offered us a stirring prelude, and a Native American flautist’s haunting communion song sent chills running up and down my spine.  It’s amazing what God can do through people who have very little material wealth.  God has given us a great treasure of human resources. 

·         I was in the Structure Committee meeting this morning, which voted to send to the House of Deputies and Bishops a resolution calling for the restructuring of the Episcopal Church.  It was a salient moment.  What intrigued me was that it was not a decision of fear due to our declining numbers, but it was a pronouncement that we believe the Holy Spirit is leading us into a new time and understanding of life in the Church.  Added to this leading of the Spirit is a concept known as “Subsidiarity,” which says that what can be done better on a grass roots level should be done there.  It means that our top down understanding of governance is going through changes.  In reality, many of these organic changes are already underway in movements such as the Emergent Church and the Missional Church. 

·         My concept of the Holy Spirit has been expanded.  For some reason, I had a notion that the Holy Spirit was like the apparition of Marley to Scrooge, but at the Eucharist on Saturday, it struck me that Holy Spirit is like the air we breathe.  The Spirit is everywhere, all around us, within us, moving between us, and lovingly and persistently pushing us to consider new avenues of joining in God’s mission in the world.

·         As messy as our process is at present, it gives everyone a voice. 

To end with another saying of a sage, Yogi Berra, “We’re lost, but we’re making good time.”  In point of fact, though, the Holy Spirit is leading us in a new direction that is definitely more missional. 

Day 5 - Rob Lundquist+

GC77 – Day 5 – July 9, 2012:  The rhythm of daily Eucharist, to which I became accustomed in my 3 years of seminary, is a comforting and evocative tradition to slip back into.  Today we celebrated the feast of Samson Occum of the Mohegan nation, the first Native American to be ordained – as a Presbyterian in 1723.  Sadly, his story is one of mistreatment and abuse by Europeans, though he is remembered for his eloquence and spiritual wisdom, and his work among the Mohegans of Connecticut.  Our preacher was Mary Crist / Eagle Woman of the Southern Robe Blackfeet.  Ordained a priest 6 months ago, Mary spoke simply but eloquently of being sent to a church that, in its old form, had died.  What has grown in its place is a community garden, a publicly-funded charter school, and a feeding ministry.  “From what people tell me, the Episcopal Church is dying, but from what I see, the church is being reborn.”  http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/09/mary-crist-preaches-at-july-9-general-convention-eucharist/  

I sat in for Deputy Jim Pritchett today.  We enjoyed more than 6 hours in legislative session.  The #1 most hated phrase on the floor of the House of Deputies is now, “I rise to offer an amendment.”  Our work today included: adopting a call for a Congressional Commission on Criminal Justice; concurring (with the House of Bishops) on a call for all church insurance providers to cover infertility treatments; concurring on continuing Anti-Racism work; concurring on support for camps for children of incarcerated parents; concurring on the continued trial usage of the resource Holy Women, Holy Men with continued refinement; concurring on the need to form a Task Force to study marriage; concurring on adding “gender identity expression” to the language about equality of access by all people to the ordination process, and approved measured action on seeking justice in the ongoing conflict between Palestine and Israel.  Special rules, points of order, calling the question, substitute amendments and requesting division of orders filled all the nooks and crannies of debate.  “Division of orders”: since the House of Deputies consists of equal parts lay and clergy deputies, it is permitted (upon agreement by 3 or more dioceses) to ask for the vote – which is usually done by voice, or, if close, by raising green (for yes) or red (for no) cards.  Calling for division has the effect of slowing down action and increasing the difficulty of something passing the House.  In the division by orders, a matter must prevail by a majority in both orders at the same time to pass.  AND if a deputation is divided (2 for and 2 against in either lay or clerical order), the tie counts as a “no” vote.  Dividing by orders also records the votes, so that one can go to the records and find that the deputation from Western North Carolina voted for or against a particular issue.  Too Much Information?  I thought so…

Though it does all blur together for us on the floor, our concurring with the bishops on the equality of access to the ordination process was quite significant.  This is a major change in our polity, which was warmly welcomed by the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered community and supporters.  At the same time, the House of Bishops was voting to accept the provisional use of a liturgy for blessing same-sex relationships.  Day 5 is significant for the actions taken on these two items alone.

Dinner – Italian, with the Dean of All Souls Cathedral, fittingly.  Our nightly deputation gathering cancelled, due to late dinners and, more importantly, weariness.  I’m sitting in for Joel Hafer tomorrow.   That puts me between deputies Kistler and Mance.  Pray for me.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev Robert Lundquist

Clergy Deputy (through Tuesday)

Day 4, Sunday, July 8 (Supplemental) - David Trask

I write this, not because Rob left anything out, but because I was asked to do a Blog for this day (the first Blog I have ever done).  So here I am.

The Sunday Eucharist was indeed something.  The theme was apt, and taken from the Collect of the Day, which was read by the Presiding Bishop in Spanish:  ".that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart and united toone another with pure affection." (English).   There were many visitors.  Inspite of the vastness of the main ballroom, there were many standees in the room and in the halls outside.  An overflow room was opened up downstairs.

Many of the visitors I expect came to see Presiding Bishop Katharine.  They were not disappointed.  She presided, she preached the sermon, and she even brought communion to those in the overflow room downstairs.

While I sit during the legislative sessions (as an alternate, I do not have a place at the table with our deputation), I have a spot at a table adjacent to the area where I can be seen and found by any of our lay deputies who desire a respite, which so far they have not.  My neighbors are a priest from Nashville, TN and a priest from Lubbock, TX.  Behind me is my old (actually much younger) friend Paul, a priest from the Diocese of San Joaquin.  This diocese is one of five who seceded about five years ago.  The Presiding Bishop then declared the see vacant, and appointed a Bishop to reorganize it.  My friend Paul, a civil engineer,  has had a long and sometimes difficult church history as a missionary, religious aspirant, and finally as a priest ordained by Bishop Katharine in Las Vegas who subsequently served a small and very humble parish just south of the "strip".  He was called to the reorganized San Joaquin diocese and now serves there as a vicar of two small congregations 45 miles apart.

As deliberate as the deliberations of the House of Deputies seems, it has outrun the output of the committees that feed the resolutions to it for dispatch.  That gave the deputies an hour or so of free time.  Many took the opportunity to go to the Exhibit hall to see the propaganda of the hundred or more exhibitors there and talking with the people and their visitors.  It was good to see our own Robbin Whittington at her Spiritual Resources booth there and some of the others nearby who also support Lifelong Christian Formation.

Faithfully,

David Trask

Alternate Lay Deputy